1 Samuel 4:13

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 1 Samuel 4:12-18

Tidings are here brought to Shiloh of the fatal issue of their battle with the Philistines. Bad news flies fast. This soon spread through all Israel; every man that fled to his tent brought it, with too plain a proof of it, to his neighbours. But no place was so nearly concerned as Shiloh. Thither therefore an express posted away immediately; it was a man of Benjamin; the Jews fancy it was Saul. He rent his clothes, and put earth upon his head, by these signs to proclaim the sorrowful news to... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 4:13

And when he came ,.... To Shiloh; he either passed by Eli, who being blind could not see him, 1 Samuel 4:15 or he came in at another gate of the city on the other side of it, as Abarbinel thinks; though the former seems more likely by what follows, he not choosing to deliver the bad news to Eli first, whom he knew it would very much grieve, and therefore slipped by him into the city: lo, Eli sat upon a seat by the wayside watching : by the "hand" of the way, as the marginal reading,... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Samuel 4:13

His heart trembled for the ark of God - He was a most mild and affectionate father, and yet the safety of the ark lay nearer to his heart than the safety of his two sons. Who can help feeling for this aged, venerable man? read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Samuel 4:12-18

Victory in defeat. The facts given are— 1 . Eli, aware of the absence of the ark on the battle field, awaits with anxiety the earliest tidings of the issue of the conflict. 2 . A fugitive relates to him and to the people of Shiloh the nature of the disaster that had befallen Israel. 3 . The effect of the news on the city is a wailing cry of despair, and on Eli sudden death. By record and tradition the people were familiar with the disasters and sufferings occasionally... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Samuel 4:13

Upon a seat— literally, "the throne"— by the wayside, whither his official chair had been removed to some spot near the gate of the city (see 1 Samuel 4:18 ), and probably commanding a view of the pathway by which a messenger would arrive. There probably for hours he had sat, anxiously awaiting tidings of the ark, which, we may feel sure, he had very unwillingly allowed to be carried away into the camp. When the man came into the city. Literally the words are, "And the man came to tell... read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - 1 Samuel 4:13

1 Samuel 4:13. His heart trembled for the ark of God Whereby he discovered a public and generous spirit, and a fervent zeal for God, and for his honour, which he preferred before all his natural affections, not regarding his own children in comparison of the ark, though otherwise he was a most indulgent father. All the city cried out And well they might, for besides that this was a calamity to all Israel, it was a particular loss to Shiloh; for the ark never returned thither. Their... read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 4:1-22

The Philistines capture the ark (4:1-22)For many years the Philistines had oppressed Israel (Judges 13:1). Samson had begun to save Israel from them (Judges 13:5), but the Philistines now fought back and decided to extend their rule further into Israel’s territory. The Israelites should have realized that their defeats were God’s punishments upon them because of their sin, and turned to him in repentance. Instead they thought that they would guarantee his help by carrying the symbol of his... read more

E.W. Bullinger

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - 1 Samuel 4:13

lo. Figure of speech Asterismos. App-6 . a = the. God. Hebrew with Art. = the God. App-14 . read more

Robert Jamieson; A. R. Fausset; David Brown

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - 1 Samuel 4:13

13-18. Eli sat upon a seat by the wayside—The aged priest, as a public magistrate, used, in dispensing justice, to seat himself daily in a spacious recess at the entrance gate of the city. In his intense anxiety to learn the issue of the battle, he took up his usual place as the most convenient for meeting with passers-by. His seat was an official chair, similar to those of the ancient Egyptian judges, richly carved, superbly ornamented, high, and without a back. The calamities announced to... read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - 1 Samuel 4:1-22

A. The Capture of the Ark 4:1-22A new subject comes to the forefront in this section and continues to be a significant motif throughout the rest of Samuel. It is the ark of the covenant. The writer drew attention to the ark in this chapter by mentioning it seven times, including a notation at the end of each text section (1 Samuel 4:4; 1 Samuel 4:11; 1 Samuel 4:17-19; 1 Samuel 4:21-22). Following the reference to Samuel the prophet in 1 Samuel 4:1, the writer did not mention him again until 1... read more

Group of Brands